


All of His Days

by onthedriftinthetardis (on_the_drift)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 03:24:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11660607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/on_the_drift/pseuds/onthedriftinthetardis
Summary: Tentoo and Rose in the minutes immediately following the Tenth Doctor's departure from Bad Wolf Bay.





	All of His Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Skyler10](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyler10/gifts).



> I've been thinking about Tentoo since last night, thanks to a conversation with Skyler10. This percolated out of my brain as a result, so I'm blaming her. ;)

His hand is cooler than it should be, even entwined with her much warmer one. The sound of the TARDIS, his home for half a millennium, still echoes from cliff to cliff over the beach, and his single heart breaks to think he's heard her for the last time.

He's afraid to look at Rose; afraid to see anger, or regret, or worst of all, despair at being stuck with him for a human eternity. He closes his eyes and to his horror, feels tears slipping down his face. He keeps his eyes closed even when he feels her turn and stand directly in front of him. 

But when a warm hand cups his jaw, thumb brushing away the tears, he opens his eyes, hope warring with fear in their deep amber depths. He sees reflected only sorrow and concern, and he forgets to breathe. 

“I'm so sorry,” she says. 

He lets out a shuddering breath, marveling at this woman's seemingly infinite capacity for compassion. 

“Rose,” he whispers into the wind. 

She draws him into an embrace, and he returns it desperately, clinging to her as he never would have permitted himself to do before. 

“He left,” she says, her voice cracking as her own tears fall, and it's like a dagger through his heart. He hugs her even more tightly, then gently moves her back far enough for their eyes to meet. 

“I stayed,” he insists, willing her to understand. 

She blinks back the tears, eyeing him critically. 

“Doctor?” she asks. 

He swallows hard and nods. 

“Hello,” she says with a sliver of hope. 

“Hello,” he says with a half smile and a wave. 

The next moments play out in a vivid sequence of deja vu as determined fingers grip his lapels and draw him down into a bruising kiss. He meets her advance with equal intensity at first, then slows down until she matches his tempo. Not letting go, he draws back and gazes into her eyes. 

“I love you, Rose,” he can't help repeating. 

Her mouth curves upward, and her smile breaks through as the sun through a storm. 

“How long are you going to stay with me?” she asks. 

He smiles back at her, and leans down to whisper six words to her, just six, but with all the power of a Time Lord's vow. 

“For the rest of my life.”


End file.
